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Valentine Heart Seed Treats for Your Chickens

February 4, 2015

Valentine's Day is right around the corner which of course prompted me to come up with a chicken-friendly heart-shaped treat for our flock. They were a big hit with all of our chickens and so easy to make!

I used a variety of the chickens' favorite seeds including sesame, sunflower, pumpkin and flax. Pumpkin seeds act as natural wormers, flax seeds add beneficial omega-3s to your chickens diet and to the eggs they lay, and sunflower seeds are high in protein. I also added some dried mealworms and silkworm pupae, both great sources of protein and available HERE. Peanut butter is also a good source of protein. Cinnamon is excellent for respiratory health and aids in circulation.

What you need:
4 cups total mixed seeds (sesame, sunflower, pumpkin, flax etc), dried mealworms and dried cranberries (feel free to use whatever ratios you want and substitute or omit any ingredients)

Spray baking sheet and cookie cutters with cooking spray, arrange your molds on the sheet and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients and set aside.

Pour the packet of gelatin into the cool water and whisk. Let sit for a minute, then pour in the boiling water and whisk to combine. Pour into the mixing bowl over the dry ingredients, along with the coconut oil, peanut butter and honey. Mix well to be sure all the seeds are coated.

Press the seed mixture into each of the cookie cutters, packing it down with your fingers. Using the chopstick, make a hole at the top of each mold so you can hang your treats. Refrigerate or freeze for several hours or overnight until the molds are set.

Unmold the hearts and string the ribbon through the holes, using the chopstick to help push the ribbon through if necessary. Hang the hearts in your run for your chickens - or hang them up in a tree or on a fence to treat the wild birds. Be sure to remove the ribbons once the treats have all been eaten.